Post-Standard: The WFP Factor

Posted by Howie Hawkins513.20pc on November 07, 2013

Working Families Party has shown it can parachute in to influence Syracuse elections. For Tuesday's election, the party sent paid canvassers into the 4th Council District to help Bey, who faced a concerted challenge from Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins.

5 little lessons from the Syracuse elections

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - On the surface, not much changed as a result of Tuesday's election in Syracuse. Mayor Stephanie Miner was easily re-elected with 68 percent of the vote. The city council remained all Democratic, pending the results from a tight race in one district.

But beneath the surface, the election yielded subtle changes, some more important than others. Perhaps the greatest change is the widespread anticipation of greater cooperation between Miner and the council, who spent much of the past two years in virtual combat.

Here are five things to look for:

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The WFP factor: While GOP influence appears to be on the wane, the Working Families Party has shown it can parachute in to influence Syracuse elections. For Tuesday's election, the party sent paid canvassers into the 4th Council District to help Bey, who faced a concerted challenge from Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins.

Jesse Lenney, the WFP upstate political director, said the party works with affiliated unions such as SEIU 1199 to send canvassers into targeted races to go door-to-door. Without such help, most candidates can't afford to deploy trained staff to talk with voters face-to-face, Lenney said.

After eking out a victory over Hawkins in 2011 by fewer than 100 votes, Bey won Tuesday with a margin of nearly 500 votes. Bey also had the advantage of incumbency this year.

Barrett, another incumbent endorsed by the WFP, received no on-the-ground assistance to get out the vote in his close race against Carni. Barrett is clinging to a 39-vote lead over his GOP challenger as they await the opening of absentee ballots next week. "Paid canvassing is very expensive,'' Lenney said. "We have to marshal our resources.''